Dispenser for thick and viscous liquids



July 14, 1953 A. L. BOBRICK DISPENSER FOR THICK AND VISCOUS LIQUIDS Filed June 5, 1950 IN VEN TOR. 4er/fa@ Ja/m Patented July 14, 1953 DISPENSER FOR THICK AND VISCOUS- LIQUIDS Arthur L. Bobrick, Pasadena, Calif.,` assignor to Bobrick Manufacturing Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif.

, Application June 5, 1950, Serial No. 166,137

claims. (o1. 222-321) This invention relates to and has for a general object the provision of a simple but effective dispenser particularlyadapted to dispense uniform quantities of viscous or thick liquids such as oils, hand or skin lotions, liquid soap, etc., and so arranged as to minimize if not actually prevent clogging of the dispensing mechanism.

More specifically, the objects are:

To combine with a rigid pump barrel having horizontal and vertical sections joined by an intermediate arcuate section, a flexible tube in said barrel formed with an inner closely coiled wire and an outer flexible sheath for operatively connecting a piston in the vertical section of the barrel with a horizontally slidable operatingplunger alined with the horizontal section of the barrel so that when the plunger is operated on a power stroke, the liquid will be forced upwardly through the piston and the flexible tube and dispensed through and from the plunger for use.

To provide acheck in the bottom of the barrel adapted to open for admitting liquid from a container into that portion of the barrel between the piston and valve, and a compression spring bearing upon but not effective for seating the valve over an inlet from the container until and unless the operating plunger has been operated to a predetermined extent, thereby permitting free opening of the valve to insure ow of the thick liquid into the compression chamber ofl the barrel and at a given point in the descent of the piston to compress and apply the power of said spring to and for positively closing said valve.

To provide a power spring also in said compression chamber which constantly bears against the piston and urges the operation plunger through the piston and the flexible supply tube toward normally retracted position.

Other objects may appear as the description progresses.-

I have shown a preferred form of dispenser embodying my said improvements in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a sectional elevational view of a complete dispenser;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation of the lower portion of the dispenser barrel and includes devices in positions as when the operating plunger is at or near the end of a power stroke in a dispensing operation; and

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 except that the operating plunger has been completely retracted at the completion of an operation to the position shown in Fig. 1.

It may be understood that the dispensing unit may be applied to various types and sizes of containers arrangedas shown in Fig. l or otherwise, but as shown, I provide a suitable container A adapted to be detachably secured to a head B as by means of an internally threaded socket on said head and an externally threaded neck 3 on the container. Said container has an opening 4 in its neck 3 which communicates with a chamber 5 in the head and chamber 5 has an opening at the top thereof closed by a removable closure 5.

Head B has a bracket 'I adapted for attachment to a suitable support and a front portion S which is horizontally bored to slidably support an operating plunger l? as by means of a bearing S having a tubular portion Ill which is externally threaded and screwed into a seat in portion and has a head II overlying the end of portion S. VBearing 9 carries a sleeve I2 in which the stem I3 of the plunger P slidably fits and stem I3 also extends into a bore I4 of portion 8 and is held against rotation as by means of a rivet or'screw I5 borne by the plunger stem and slidable in a longitudinal peripheral groove I6 in portion 8.

A barrel C Ais provided through which liquid from container A is forced upwardly into and through plungerP and has a short horizontal section I'I, a longer vertical section I8 which depends into the liquid in container A and an intermediate arcuate section I9 joining sections I'I and I8. The end of section II is inserted in and suitably secured to the inner portion of `bore I4. A piston P is slidably mounted Ainsection I8 of said barrel, and a exible liquid conductor D connects plunger P with piston P in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter described.

Flexible conductor D includes an inner flexible tube 20 and an enclosing sheath 2l formed of impervious flexible material such as neoprene or otherwise, the composite conductor D being of less diameter than the internal diameter of barrel C so as to permit free yielding of conductor D as the plunger P and piston P' are reciprocated. Tube 20 is formed of closely coiled Wire and its upper end is screwed into the inner end of an axial passage 22 in stem`|3 of plunger P, said passage being threaded to correspond in lead and pitch to the coils of tube `20. The upper end of sheath 2I is frictionally held in a counterbore at the end of stem I 3. The lower ends of tube 20 and sheath 2I seat in a cavity 23 of piston Pg and Y 3 bear against but are not secured to said piston, but are so disposed that the end of tube 26 will overlie a part 24 in the bottom of the piston and the'end of the sheath will seal the cavity 23 against leakage of liquid into the passage 25 of barrel C.

In the bottom of barrel C a foot valve is provided for regulating the flow of liquid from container A into the compression chamber 26 between piston P and said valve. Said valve includes a ball valve V and a fitting V having av part 21 over which valve V seats at times to prevent entrance of liquid from the container to chamber 26. Valve V is under` the inuence of a spring S which rests upon the valve but terminates short of piston P when the'piston is at a predetermined point in chamber 21 as determined by the position of plunger P. For eX- ample, when the plunger P is positioned as shown inV Fig. 1 and the piston as shown in Figs. l and 3, it is necessary that the plunger be thrust inwardly to a predetermined extent before piston P will descent tov an extent to engage and compress spring Sand force the valve into closing position on' its seat. As a reason for such an arrangement it may be understood that the flow of a viscous or thick liquid is slow and gradual and if spring S were always bearing against the valve, the chamber 26 might not ll with liquid between successive operations of the plunger because iiow of the liquid would be impeded by the valve.

However, on the down stroke of the piston it is important that valve V be closed so that the liquid then resident in chamber 26 may be dis- 3 pensed through conductor D and plunger P' and in athick or viscous liquid gravity can not be depended upon to seat the valve as in the absence of a liquid or in a thin liquid. Hence, when piston P has moved downwardly to a slight extent it engages and compresses spring S and thereby positively seats the valve so that a full charge of liquid in chamber 26 will be evacuated and dispensed through passage 22 andan outlet 22 in plunger P.

' Also, in chamber 26 I provide a spring S which surrounds and is larger thanrspring S and is compressed between piston P and tting 2-1, thereby serving to retract piston P' and plunger Pwhen pressure on the plunger is released. VIt is apparent that because spring S is always sui-iiciently compressed to return the piston and plunger to normally retracted positions, the seal between conductor D and piston P `will not be impaired and no leakage of liquid into the barrel can ever occur. Springs S and S may be of the same or diierent pitch and of reverse lead-one right hand and one left handas shown, in order to prevent their entanglement, one with the other.v

I claim:

l, A liquid dispenser comprising: av container, ahead secured to the top of the container, an operating plunger horizontally slidable on said head and provided with an outlet passage through whichv liquid may be expelled, a rigid pump barrel having its upper end secured to said head and its lower portion depending into the liquid of said container and having aan inlet port for admitting liquid toA said barrel, a piston slidable in said barrel and in constant communication at its lower end with said barrel, a tubular Ystem connecting said vpiston with said plunger for correspondingly reciprocating said Y Ylar planes, said tubular stem being so connected with the piston and the plunger as to conduct liquid from the barrel below the piston and thence through the piston to the outlet passage of the plunger in a dispensing operation, an inlet valve in the bottom of said barrel for Vregulating low of liquid to the barrel, va'retraotor spring borne by the barrel and compressible on the downstroke of the piston for retracting the piston and the plunger to normal position at the completion of each dispensing operation, and a Vcompression spring between the piston and valve engageable by the piston at a predetermined point in the downward travel of the piston for applying pressure` to and closing said valve to prevent evacuation of resident liquid in the barrel and create pressure in the barrel below the piston for discharging the liquid through theA piston, stem and plunger for use.

2,. A liquid dispenser comprising: a container for liquid, ahead thereon, an operating plunger slidable on said head and having an outlet passage, a stationary barrel secured at its upper end to said head inraxial alinement with said outlet passage and having its lower portion adapted to be submerged in the liquid of said container and an inlet port at its lower end, a ball valve in said barrel adapted to open and close said port to regulate iiow of liquid from the container therethrough, a piston reciprocable in the submersible portion of said barrel and having a continuously open port therethrough, a hollow stem operatively connecting said piston withl said plunger and for at times conducting liquid to and for discharge through the outlet passage of said plunger, and a spring in said barrel between saidV piston and said lvalve engageable bythe descend-ing pistonrto compress said spring andpositively seat the valve over and closesaid'inlet during a dispensing operation,V

but ineffective to prevent opening of the inlet to admit a fresh charge of liquid from the container as When disengaged by said piston.

3. A liquid dispenser comprising: a container for liquid, a head thereon, an operating plunger slidable on said head and having an outlet passage, a stationary barrel secured at its upper end to said head in axial alinement with said outlet passage and having its lower portion adapted to .be submerged in the liquid of said container and an inlet port at its lower end, a ball valve in said barrel adapted to open and close said port to regulate flow of liquid from the container therethrough, a piston reciprocahle in the submersible portion of said barrel and having a continuouslyV open port therethrough, a hollow stem operatively connecting said piston with said plungerand for at times conducting liquid to and for discharge through the outlet passage of said plunger, and a spring in saidl barrel between said piston and said valve engageable by the descending piston to compress said spring and positively seat the valve over and close said inlet during a dispensing operation, but ineiective to prevent opening of the inlet to admit afresh charge of liquid from the container as when disengagedA by said piston, and a retractor spring between said piston and the bottom of said barrel and compressible by descent of the piston for retracting the piston and plunger and thereby `relieving tension of the valve spring.

4. A device of the character described comprising: a cylindrical member having a luid inlet, a piston reciprocable in said cylindrical member and having a uid outlet, a valve for regulating the ow of liquid into a chamber of said cylindrical member below said piston, means for reciprocating said piston, and a compression spring mounted between the piston and the valve and engageable by the piston at a predetermined point in its travel for compressing said spring against the valve to close said valve and exhaust the uid contents of said vchamber through the outlet of said piston.

5. A device of the character d-escribed comprising: a cylindrical member having a fluid inlet, a piston reciprocable in said cylindrical member and having a fluid outlet, a valve for regulating the ilow of liquid into a `chamber of said cylindrical member below said piston, means for l5 reciprocating said piston, and a compression spring mounted between the piston and ,the valve and engageable by the piston at a predetermined point in its travel for compressing said spring against the valve to close said valve and exhaust the iuid contents of said chamber through the outlet of said piston, said fpiston reciprocating means including a plunger `connected with the piston for applying power to the piston on a compression stroke, and a compression spring continuously urging the piston to retracted position.

ARTHUR L. BOBRICK.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

